| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
The study assessed records security and access at Kampala High Court (KHC), where the study area was the Land Division (LD) of KHC. The researcher based his study on Alividza (2009)’s report that missing court files were leading to delay of access to case files and complete disappearance of documents from files was rife in court registries. Secondly, during his internship at LD in 2018, he witnessed improper security of records and users’ complaints of delayed access to court records.
The overall objective was to assess records security and access at KHC. This study was built on 5 specific objectives which were: to find out the type of records; to identify the users of records; to identify the existing records security and access mechanisms; to establish the challenges faced by the users as regards records security and access; and, to propose strategies to overcome the challenges.
In his research design, the researcher adopted qualitative and quantitative approaches to conduct his investigations with 12 respondents from a population of 26 people. He had purposively and conveniently selected his sample to target professionals and readily available individuals which was cost-effective and non-time consuming for him. A structured questionnaire and an observation guide were at his disposal as data collection instruments.
The findings revealed that the LD of KHC mostly kept court case records mainly in paper format whose users were judicial officers, advocates and litigants. The study revealed the current security and access measures which were assessed not being at their best generally.
The study came up with security strategies such as among others, provision of lockable cabinets, supply of an efficient generator, adoption of an e-records management system and customized paper. To counter access challenges, emphasis on alpha-numeric filing system, provision of adequate storage facilities, and delivery of records to rightful court clerks and adoption of an e-filing system were suggested.
The study finally concluded that the current mechanisms could improve with time given the above strategies but also devised recommendations to the management of the LD of KHC among which was to design and adopt records security and access management policies. | en_US |
